catalog text
WALTER SCHOTT
German, 1861-1938
"Die Kugelspielerin" (The Ball Player) (1897)
Medium-brown patinated bronze over rouge marble socle | engraved signature "Walter Schott" to base | foundry cachet for Gladenbeck reverse
Item # 209SGP12Q
An exquisite modeling of a young woman playing ball, Die Kugelspielerin was sculpted by Walter Schott in two variations: the more common example fully clothed and the present example with the figure nude and a thin veil draped behind her. These were executed in bronze, chryselephantine (ivory together with bronze) and later in porcelain during the first quarter of the 20th century. The present example is a relatively early rendition with a complex patina, darker on the diaphanous garment behind her and lighter brown throughout her body while the bronze ball is a polished patination. Executed by the Gladenbeck foundry, it is sealed to the reverse with the foundry cachet noting "Aktien-Ges Vorm H. Gladenbeck & Sohn Friedrichshagen", the renowned Berlin foundry that operated from 1851 through 1926.
An incredibly popular model for its sensitive and serious modeling, Gladenbeck promoted it on one of the stamps they issued (see images) and sold the variations in several dimensions throughout the first quarter of the twentieth-century. A fine blend of neo-Baroque with the newfound passion for naturalism in the era of the Art Nouveau, Schott depicts a very real and very feminine figure. It is not immediately clear which angle the bronze should best be viewed from, as all turns of the bronze are beautiful and reveal a different perspective on the figure. The casting quality of the present example is exquisite.
Measurements: 17 14" H [total including marble] x 6 1/2" W [marble base diameter] x 11" W [total span of bronze]
Condition Report: Traces of pigmented stains in crevices suggesting a darker wash (or relieved stain for contrast); bronze ball would have originally been soldered to her fingertips, this since separated leaving the ball loose in her hand with traces of solder on her fingers and hints of where the solder attached to the ball; carefully cleaned and sealed in wax, a very fine presentation.